By Walter Broeckx
Hi Florian, hope you are enjoying yourself in The StubHub Center in California.
The starting eleven for Arsenal in this match against Chivas were Ospina, Bellerin, Chambers, Holding, Monreal, Xhaka, Coquelin, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Cazorla, Iwobi, Walcott. Santi and Xhaka making their first start for Arsenal.
The match started at high pace from both teams but very few goal mouth incidents. Chivas winning a few corners but nothing dangerous really. Coquelin getting in the book for a high foot after a throw in. Özil was on the Arsenal bench but only as a spectator. He will probably fly back home with the team to London. Arsenal can’t really get their passing together so far this match. Should have written that earlier as Santi and Xhaka try to set up The Ox but a defender just in the way at the cost of a corner. Chambers heads it over the crossbar.
Holding giving the ball away but Ospina with a low save and then Holding can clear the danger. Chivas then again with a shooting chance but the ball drifted wide. Basulto from Chivas going in the book for stopping a possible Arsenal attack with some shirt pulling. Xhaka sends Theo away but his shot with the outside of the boot went wide from the keepers hands. Santi with a free kick after he was pulled back. He send it to the far post where Chambers puts it back in front of the Chivas goal and Holding just has to push it over the line. GOAL. 0-1 to the Arsenal after 34 minutes. The first goal of Rob Holding as an Arsenal player.
Xhaka sending Monreal away and his low cross finds Theo but the keeper manages to smother the shot from close range. Holding urges Ospina to come for the ball but the Columbian keeper stays on his line and then clashes with the Chivas player and blocks the ball for a corner and gets a foot against his head. The Ox with a run but his left foot shot was straight at the keeper.
Xhaka and Cazorla combining but the keeper can cut out the low cross from the little Spanish magician. Arsenal after a fairly tame first 25 minutes now completely having the game in hand. Santi with a magnificent (but foot in mouth) dribble in front of his own back area to conclude the first half with Arsenal a goal in front after 45 minutes. Xhaka with his passes and vision was very impressive. My man of the first half.
With 10 man on the bench we will have one player who will have to play the whole 90 minutes. Wondering who that will be.
Team at the start of the second half Ospina, Debuchy,Holding, Bielik, Gibbs, Elneny, Campbell, Akpom, Chamberlain, Iwobi and Coquelin.
Arsenal immediately with a chance after winning the ball high up the field but the Arsenal player completely missed his shot. Iwobi going on the book for a head around the neck of a Chivas player.
The Ox with an amazing dribble on the right flank sending two players the wrong way he finishes it up with a low left footed shot in the far corner. GOAL. Arsenal 0-2 in front after 50 minutes.
A great ball from Coquelin to Debuchy and his low cross is turned over the line by Akpom to make it 0-3 for Arsenal after 56 minutes. GOAL! His second goal in this USA tour. The Chivas player with number 297 goes off. Number 297??? I kid you not…
Zelalem, Adelaide and Willock come for The Ox, Iwobi and Coquelin after 65 minutes. Holding with a great run forward finds Akpom but he drags his shot wide. Martinez comes on for Ooooospina. Campbell with some space but waits to long and then can’t find Elneny. Debuchy then coming back from offside but he couldn’t beat the keeper. Holding almost with another goal after a corner but he couldn’t make proper contact. The Arsenal youngsters pressing high up the pitch making it difficult for Chivas to start attacks. Debuchy then adjudged to have fouled a Chivas player and they get a penalty. Is this a PGMO ref? It looked as if Debuchy just was putting his body between the ball and the Chivas player and had the ball in possession. 1-3 after 75 minutes.
Then the ref doesn’t send off a Chivas player with a second yellow card after bringing down Akpom on the counter. Elneny with a shot that just goes wide after a nice attack from Arsenal. Debuchy goes in the book for a foul and the ref sends a person from the Chivas bench away. The penalty gift has brought Chivas back to live and has made Debuchy very angry. Chivas looking to score a second goal and the youngsters getting under some pressure.
Even handbags when a Chivas players clearly says something that incenses Campbell a lot. Both getting a yellow card for their effort. Adelaide almost with another Arsenal goal right at the end but his shot hits a defender.
Arsenal win 1-3 in a heated match
- Arsenal vs the Goats. The on-the-spot Untold Match Preview
- The new signing has signed, several other options, one star leaving, and the replacement for Wenger
- Football debate declines into the new superstitions and myths, which is why we are here.
A sad anniversary, but an indicator that the good ol’ days weren’t always good
- 1 August 1980: After 235 league games Liam Brady transferred to Juventus for £514,000. He later played for Sampdoria, Inter, and Ascoli before returning to London to play for West Ham
It was a good game for Arsenal. Chivas’ pace forced us to work for our win which is what we needed at this point in the pre-season. Holding, Elneny, Akpom,Xhaka, the Ox, Monreal all looked good.
I would imagine that Mexico has played Costa Rica enough, that there are some racial taunts that the referee has never heard before. Which might be what got Campbell wound up.
Glad to see the Ox playing well. Happy to have him in the team and not Mahrez. Holding and Chambers look good enough to cover for Per rather than getting someone else in unless Wenger has decided that Gabriel will not make it. (I read he is back in South America getting treatment – for tonsilitis???) Something not adding up. Now all we need is to use all our cash and buy Aguero, no other signings required.
OMG I must have been writing with closed eyes… Well it was the middle of the night…
A great goal from the OX! Thanks for the write- up Walter,and to Florian for the pre-match.
Great Support shown by the US Gooners. Special mention about the crowd supporting the manager pre-match and post-match. Also it was nice to see Arsene Wenger acknowledging and interacting with fans post-match (most likely due to fans in the stadium that supported everyone in the club, unlike some back home).
Here are some links below.
https://twitter.com/BrewCityGunners/status/759910315127549952
https://twitter.com/OldBaldGooner/status/759947932799864832
Ox-Chamberlaine had an all round good game. It wasn’t just his wonder goal, but the power running at the Chivas midfield & defense, and also his own defensive work in supporting Debuchy. If he can stay fit, who knows what he’ll achieve this season.
Most of the team played well in a really unfriendly match with two players from each side possibly deserving of sending offs. In these sort of games the refs used to warn the bench to sub their “guilty” players off.
Walter
It looked to me as though Debuchy trod on his opponents foot for the penalty and a fair decision. But your “humour” is noted.
There was also another possible call for a penalty (handball against Holding), but it would have been really bad luck if it had been given.
Got to see the highlights before reading Walter’s report. Thanks for the added detail, Walter, especially about the hotter aspects of the game. Good preparation for the Premiership then!
Great to see the Ox’s goal. Arsene Wenger says maybe all he needs to do is believe what a great player he can be. The fans can help with that.
Leon, from one angle Debuchy just looked to take the shortest line to the ball and blocked the Chivas player. As the ball was at the feet of Debuchy he was imo allowed to use his body to make the ball unplayable and didn’t commit a foul. I didn’t see him make contact with the feet of the Chivas player. But watching it on e small screen as I had my text open to write my match report I might have missed that. Will try to watch again on a bigger screen
I’ve been impressed with Holding but like pretty much all youngsters he still a bit inconsistent. I hope the Emirates Boo Boys give him a chance when he plays for us as I think he could turn out to be a top class player.